DUBAI... The second time around..

It was December 2014 when we first set foot in the now famous, cosmo city of Dubai.  We were there for a 4 day holiday/stop-over.  However, we did not  get to see anything at all as my son was sick.  He had fever and colds (it was winter in Europe).  We practically walked around the area where we stayed which has a strong community feel. We took the train and strolled along Dubai Mall. We spent time with my aunt and her family, who were very gracious and accommodating.  And that´s about it.  It was short and quick but it left us with the strong feeling of yearning, wanting to go back. 

This 2019, we are utterly blessed to have spent Holy Week in Dubai.  My mother and youngest sister also flew in to Dubai from the Philippines (it is much easier to secure a visa to visit Dubai than Spain).  We spent time with the family of my Aunt, one of my mom´s younger sisters.  It was a family affair and my heart is just so full of love and gratitude! 

From the little that I have seen last 2014, I can categorically say that Dubai is undergoing a boom in construction, real estate, migration and in the process providing amenities for its continuously growing expat population.  I have seen that there are more playgrounds, play areas in the public places.  There are more bookstores inside the malls!! Last 2014, when we went to the famous Dubai mall, we were fixated on the clothing, men and women accessories boutiques, but there was not a single bookstore.  New residential areas were also built to accommodate the increasing demand of the expat communities.  I suppose, Dubai is going to be a hub for some industries or businesses as there are massive constructions from their renowned construction companies (DAMAC and EMAAR).  It is very surprising how you see the bright, bold names of DAMAC  and EMAAR on the buildings that they have erected, taking pride in their buildings. 

This trip definitely makes it to my list of unforgettable ones!!  Here´s a list of the fun, kid-friendly and family oriented activities that we enjoyed.

• Family bonding of course!! As we were welcomed in the abode of my aunt and her family, we had an absolute fabulous time.  Priceless!! We have a view of the Dubai Marina Walk and we were close to the Jumeirah Beach.  We bonded over delicious Filipino food, good laughs and good and warm company. It was a delight to see my son exchange banters with them.  I miss my mom, my aunts, my sis, my cousin and my uncle so much!

• The Jumeirah Beach Residence and the Dubai Marina Walk are long avenues where one can enjoy a cool, soothing jog, a night out with friends as there is a long array of restaurants to choose from, family bonding time and the much needed me time.  Both areas have world famous names in the food and beverage business such as McDonald, Shake Shack, StarBucks, KFC, Laduree, The Cheesecake Factory, etc. There are also local based restaurants serving Arabic, Turkish, Egyptian dishes. The Dubai Marina Walk has a direct view to the Dubai Marina Yacht Club where you can see the privately owned yachts.  They are also providing a boat tour (for a fee) which includes a buffet meal (we did not try this, I only saw it while walking). 

• The Jumeirah Beach Residence has direct access to the Arabic Gulf beach.  During Fridays (their weekend), the beach is filled with families and visitors bathing under the sun or enjoying the festive mood.  This place has definitely a lot of vibe! In the center of the beach residence, there is an improvised theme park where the children and child at heart can voluntarily spend their money with the hope to win a prize.  My son and my husband were luck to have won a small and a big sized stuff toys!  Great job son and my love! 

• Public transports:  Tram and metro: Dubai is definitely not a place for a walking tour.  In order to move around, we either took a cab or the ever reliable tram(which they call metro) and metro(which they call train).  My son is a super duper fan of trams, metros and trains.  He was giddy during our metro rides.  Both metro and tram are convenient, well air conditioned, spacious.  A minimum fare is at 3 AED and will increase depending on the distance.  A tap card is necessary to move around in metro.  Card and cash are accepted as mode of payments when loading credits in your tap card. Just a friendly warning  The network in the metro lines seem slow when using your credit card for payments.  While inside the metro and the tram, look at the window and enjoy the sights of its skyscrapers. 
• Dubai Marina (DAMAC):  This is in the downtown part where you can see the Cayen tower (twisted building) and other skyscrapers.  At night time, it is a sight to behold especially with the building lights on.  They are like stars.

• Dubai Mall:  At night time, you can enjoy the famous Dancing Fountain.  And it is indeed a very expressive, dancing fountain!  During daytime, you can feast on the Dubai Aquarium, shopping (the possibilities are endless) hahaha. They have high end brands to all sorts of brands.  They have Borders and the Virgin Megastore where we splurged on books! Yehey!! Yehey!! The Dubai Marina also has access to the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest building in the world.

• Holding hands while walking and enjoying the skyscrapers, daytime and nighttime. Hehehe

• Legoland:  what is a family vacation without a kiddie treat to my son?  Legoland is reachable by a taxi (approximately 60 AED, one way).  There is also a taxi stand very near the entrance.  Entrance fee is at 249 AED per head (although you can get a 10% discount if you book online in advance).  They inspect your bags upon entrance and they are quite lenient if you are travelling with kids, meaning, they let you bring some food with you.  Legoland is a kiddie haven and a paradise.  It also has a waterpark where the kids and kids at heart can enjoy a dip in the pool or be more adventurous with spiral slides! We spent our time exploring the theme park, enjoying the rides, taking family photos, playing and walking and walking.  We particularly liked the Miniland (where you can see miniature images of known icons ALL made of lego), trip to the Lego Factory, where they oriented us on the process of making a Lego (from sorting, molding, coloring, developing and packaging), roller coaster ride, driving experience and A big water container will come in handy! In terms of souvenir items, they have caps, lots of lego toys including lego minifigures, shirts, name tags, key chains, etc. This was definitely a treat to my son!

• Dubai Miracle Garden: This place boasts of everything made of flowers.  You will see gigantic animals, Emirates plane, houses, cartoon characters (such as Minnie Mouse, Goofy, etc) all made of flowers.  This is a nice place to visit amidst the warm temperature because flowers radiate good vibes.  This place has an entrance fee of approx. 50 AED. 

• The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi: When my aunt from New York flew in to Dubai, she drove us to Abu Dhabi.  It is approximately 130 km away from Dubai.  The trip was breezy.  In Abu Dhabi, we saw the Grand Mosque.  It boasts of its opulence and elegance as the materials used were marble and mosque.  It is a sacred place for worship.  All women were requested to wear the typical long dress and the veil to cover the hair.  It is a sparkling white place, solemn and quiet. 

Dubai is posh, is modern, is cosmo and expensive.  It is a beautiful place to visit, to unwind and spend quality family time together.  It was a short trip but definitely a memorable one.  I couldn’t thank enough my mother, my sister, my aunt for flying in to Dubai to spend time with us and also my aunt and her family in Dubai for welcoming us.  My heart is overflowing with gratitude.  There are beautiful memories that will forever live in my heart.

Let us build beautiful memories.  There will come a time that the only thing we have is our memories, so let us make the most of it.